1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll for producing an electromagnetic radiation reaction element label for producing an electromagnetic radiation reaction element label in a continuous tape-like form, a tag-label producing device as the electromagnetic radiation reaction element label producing device, and a RFID circuit element cartridge using the tag-label producing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has already been proposed a tape printing device (label producing device) which has a tape serving as a print-receiving material accommodated in a roll within a cartridge (cassette) and is adapted to print desired characters onto the tape as it is paid out from the roll and discharge the tape in the form of a label (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this related art, the tape printing device includes a roll having a base tape (adhesive tape) wound thereon, and a roll having wound thereon a print-receiving tape (film tape) that is bonded onto the base tape. The tape printing device is adapted to perform, while paying out the base tape and the print-receiving tape from these two rolls, predetermined printing on the print-receiving tape being fed, and bond the print-receiving tape on which printing has been performed and the base tape together to thereby produce a label.
On the other hand, a system for performing reading/writing of information in a non-contact manner between a small tag equipped with an electromagnetic radiation reaction element and a reader (reading device)/writer (writing device) is conventionally known. The system allows the reader/writer to make access (reading/writing of information) to the electromagnetic radiation reaction element equipped to the tag even when the tag is soiled or arranged at a position where it cannot be seen. In recent years, in particular, increasing attention has been focused on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems equipped with a RFID circuit element. A RFID circuit element provided in a RFID tag is equipped with an IC circuit part for storing predetermined RFID tag information, and an antenna connected to this IC circuit part to transmit/receive information. Since the reader/writer can make access (reading/writing of information) to the RFID tag information of the IC circuit part even in such a case where the RFID tag is soiled or the RFID tag is arranged at a position where it cannot be seen, the practical use of RFID systems is being anticipated for a variety of fields such as merchandise management and inspection processes.
Here, if, separately from the tag information stored in the tag, information associated with the RFID tag information is printed on a label, and this label is bonded together with the tag for use, the above-mentioned associated information can be viewed from the user side, which may prove convenient in many situations. In view of this, a method has been conceived in which, by applying the above-mentioned related art, the electromagnetic radiation reaction element is arranged on the base tape side or on the print-receiving tape side to produce a print tape incorporating the electromagnetic radiation reaction element, thereby producing the tag label. As the construction of the tag label, one shown in, for example, Patent Document 2 is known.
In this related art, two antennas are provided on both sides of one IC circuit part (IC label), and the two antennas are each connected to the IC circuit part. Further, a structure composed of the two antennas and the IC circuit part is mounted onto a base made of paper, a plastic film, or the like. According to a construction for producing such a tag label, there are provided a label affixing device and a cutting device. The label affixing device includes an antenna medium supplying device including a roll that consists of a sheet having an antenna on the top surface wound in a roll form, and a roll having wound thereon a tape base having IC circuit parts arranged at a fixed interval, and affixes the IC circuit parts stripped off from the tape base onto the antenna of the sheet that is rolled out from the antenna medium supplying device and intermittently supplied along a feed path to thereby produce RFID circuit elements. The cutting device cuts the sheet, on which the RFID circuit elements have been formed at a fixed interval due to this affixing process, into each individual RFID circuit element to thereby form a RFID label.    Patent Publication 1: JP,A,07-314831 (FIGS. 1 and 2)    Patent Publication 2: JP,A,2003-168099 (paragraphs 0008 to 0059, FIGS. 1 to 7)
However, the above-mentioned related art techniques involve the following problems.
That is, there are cases where, for reasons such as clearly indicating that an electromagnetic radiation reaction element is incorporated in the tag label when producing the tag label, the electromagnetic radiation reaction element is arranged not on the base tape side but on the print-receiving tape side. In this case, when the construction described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is applied to the production of a tag label, the portion of the print-receiving tape where the electromagnetic radiation reaction element is provided becomes uneven in configuration. Accordingly, when printing is performed during the feeding as described above, an external force (larger than that applied to the other regular shaped portion) is applied to the uneven shaped portion. As a result, printing may no longer be performed in a satisfactory manner or the resulting print may become hard to see, making it difficult to ensure the soundness of the tag label product.
On the other hand, in the tag-label production device according to the related art technique described in Patent Document 2, the roll (the roll around which the sheet including the antenna medium is wound) equipped in the antenna medium supplying device, and the roll (the roll around which the tape base including the IC label is wound) equipped in the label affixing device are consumables that wear and tear with use and hence require replacement. Accordingly, in order to enable easy and simple replacement of these consumables, a method may be conceived in which, as in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, these rolls are integrated into a cartridge, and the cartridge as a whole is replaced when there is no more roll available.
In this case, however, to feed the RFID circuit element, which is produced by affixing the IC circuit part and the antenna together, in the narrow confined space within the cartridge, it may often be necessary to largely change the feed direction by means of, for example, a roll or the like (=deflection). Here, usually, the IC circuit part having a relatively small size exhibits a rigidity greater than that of the antenna having a relatively large size; in the case where, for example, the antenna is located on the radially inner peripheral side and the IC circuit part is located on the radially outer peripheral side at the time of the above-mentioned deflection, although it is relatively easy for the antenna to follow and deflect along the shape of the roller or the like, it is generally rather difficult for the IC circuit part to follow and deflect along the shape of the roller or the like. As a result, a force acting to strip off the IC circuit part from the antenna is generated at the time of the above-mentioned deflection, which reduces the soundness and reliability of the completed tag label product.